Umi at Karasuno
by Belles7
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi is moving to Kyoto and Karasuno's volley ball team needs a new member now. It's up to Tadashi to fix the problem he caused, so now he's off trying to persuade a certain someone into joining Karasuno High School's volley ball team. Who said it couldn't be a girl?
1. Chapter 1

**Umi at Karasuno**

* * *

Chapter 1: Departure, time to scout!

* * *

"Why are you leaving now of all times?" Noya shouted, slamming a volleyball into the waxed gym floor. "Asahi just came back. Everyone's working hard so that we can get to the nationals! We even have Coah Ukai!"

Yamaguchi Tadashi hung his head down in apology. "I'm sorry, sempai, but my dad got relocated for his job. My whole family is moving with him." He looked up at the short teammate and quickly added, "But I'll still come to support you guys no matter what!"

Noya looked away. There was no way he could make Tadashi stay in Karasuno, especially since it was because of his dad getting promoted. He should feel happy for Tadashi and his family, but instead, he was upset and frustrated. What about the inter-high preliminaries? What about making it to the nationals? All their hard work as a team, was it just a waste?

"N-noya-sempai, thank you for everything! I have caused a problem with my departure for Kyoto, but I will find my replacement!" Tadashi exclaimed, bowing to Noya who took a step back in surprise. Why was Tadashi bowing? This was nerve-racking for him...he kind of liked it though, the respect being shown to him.

"I-it's okay," Noya stuttered, face growing pink, and quickly added, trying to sound mad and tough, "But, make sure you find your replacement fast! You have one week and once you find the person, bring him to us! We will test his abilities!"

"Yes, sempai!" Tadashi shouted, saluting him. He quickly grabbed his backpack and ran out of the gym to find his replacement. Meanwhile, everyone else sighed and Noya narrowed his eyes at the ball. "Where is he going to find us a replacement?"

The captain of Karasuno high's volleyball club, Daichi Sawamura, shrugged and said, "I'm sure Tadashi will find one."

-000-

"Umi-chan! Please be my replacement!" Tadashi begged. "If you don't, I will be in serious trouble!"

"Ah. You mean that sempai of yours will beat you up?" Umi asked nonchalantly, scrubbing dishes. She turned to look at her friend in distress and smiled coldly before adding, "And don't call me _Umi_-_chan_, just Umi is okay, Ta-da-shi."

The volleyball player nodded, stiffly gulping, and asked, "So is this a yes?"

Shoving a plate into the sink full of soapy water, Umi stomped her feet. "Of course not! Why would I want to play volleyball!" She glared at the window, spotting her neighbor's kids playing tag, and scowled. No wonder why it was so loud earlier when she was sleeping! Those pesky kids were busy screaming their lungs out.

Tadashi leaned on the counter, eyeing those kids and his only female friend. "Are you mad, Umi? Did something happen today at school?"

Umi turned to look at him, remaining stoic, and replied, "Nothing happened, Tadashi."

"Then why do you look like you want to skin those kids alive?"

Umi resumed washing dishes and Tadashi cocked his head, thinking how similar Umi was to Kiyoko. Their methods of ignoring people and cold appearance intimidated people, but something about their beauty drew people to them. Not even thinking about it, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Umi, what happened at school?"

Suddenly, his hand was falling limply back to his side. A stinging feeling scorched through his hand. Did she just slap his hand?

"Don't be so nosy, Tadashi. If you're done talking, you can leave now." Umi dried her hands and walked back into her room. Tadashi sighed, mumbling, "I knew it, something happened at school." He walked out of the silent house and returned to his house.

Umi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching Tadashi leave with slumped shoulders. She exited her room and walked to the house door to lock it. When she got there, the door was already locked. "Hmph. Stupid Tadashi, already locked the door, didn't he?"

She turned around and stomped back to her room. "Did he think I wouldn't lock the door? I'm not stupid enough to do that."

* * *

Hello! This is my first fanfic for this anime/manga. I just watched it for the first time yesterday(all the way 'till midnight) and BAM, it would not leave my head which is why I am here, posting this up :)

Please review. I'd love to hear your thoughts, negative(hopefully, constructive or thoughtfully laced with reasons) or positive. Oh and more info on Umi will come, so wait for me!

Thanks, Belles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Umi at Karasuno**

* * *

*Chapter 2: Volleyball to her is...

* * *

"Tsukino, get a move on!"

Umi gritted her teeth, sliding onto the floor. She clenched her eyes for a second, feeling the harsh impact as her breasts slid onto the waxed floor of the gym along with the rest of her body. She quickly flashed open her light brown eyes and sighed in relief at the touch of the volleyball bouncing off her hand. Thank god, she connected to the ball. If she hadn't, who knows how much more Coach Matsu would put her through. She pushed herself off the floor, becoming even more aware of her aching knees and stinging hands.

"Now that's our star player!" Coach Matsu explained, jogging over to her excitedly. He patted her back. "I was beginning to think that you were losing your touch, especially since you've been missing practice. Do you have a reason for that?"

Umi looked away. She simply didn't feel like coming anymore.

Thinking that she would prefer to speak in privacy, the coach led her to his office and took a seat in his leather chair, facing her fully. "You can tell me your reason now, Umi."

Umi leaned on the wall. "I didn't feel like coming."

She watched her coach's face morph to and from various emotions. He was confused at first, thinking _my star player didn't just say that, right?_ And then, when he realized that she did say that, he was upset. "Umi, just because you didn't feel like coming doesn't mean that you can skip practice."

"I know. I will take the repercussions for missing practice and, coach, I was thinking of quitting."

"I'm sorry, what did you just say, Umi?"

Umi stood straighter, clasping her hands behind her back. "I want to leave the team."

"Woah, woah, now wait a second, Umi. Why quit all of a sudden?"

"Volleyball's just not my thing anymore."

"Is this because of Natsu and Aoi? The girls are constantly talking about your guys' feud. Don't leave because of their constant antagonizing, Umi. The team-_I-_ need you. What about the competition? Weren't we going to keep up the school's perfect record?"

"Coach, I think you're forgetting the fact that for the past five years, our school has been performing less than it should be. All this competition and tension within the team is most likely the cause of our fall," Umi replied.

"Still, we're one of the top schools with the best volleyball team."

"We only play against all-girl volleyball teams. That's boring," Umi clucked her tongue.

The coach sighed. He knew star players like Umi would eventually fly from the nest and search for a new place once their desires were satisfied. Star players like her needed constant challenges. He looked at Umi and said, "Yes, that's because this is an all girl school, Umi."

"I know, coach."

"Just stay on the team for the time being. I will talk to the headmaster and see if she'll let us play against a boy or coed team, okay?" Matsu offered.

"I highly doubt Headmaster Tori would approve of that. She seems to have the idea that interacting with males will cause us to stray away from winning our games," Umi said. "The other girls have asked her before and she rejected them."

"But it's different when an authorized adult like me asks, don't you think?"

Umi shrugged. "Perhaps."

He quickly stood up, making his chair hit the wall behind him. "For now, just go practice with the others." He led her out of the office, back to the gym and instructed for everyone to practice while he took care of business. Umi was repeating underhand serves, perfectly making it over the net, as a girl asked loudly, "I wonder what business the coach had to take care of? He left so fast after talking to a certain _someone_."

Umi slammed her fist under the ball, sending it perfectly over the net. She walked across the gym to pick it up and distance herself from the girls. As she walked back, she spotted Natsu, the girl with orange hair, spiking the ball at Aoi. Aoi jumped around, dodging the ball as her long brown ponytail swished in the air.

"Ugh, Aoi, this isn't _dodgeball!_ It's _volleyball_. Recieve the ball, will ya?" Natsu snapped, placing a hand on her hip.

"Y-yes, Natsu!" Aoi shouted, standing straight.

Natsu shook her head, frowning, and instructed, "_You_ call me _sempai_."

"Sorry, Natsu-sempai!" Aoi said, bowing. Her brown hair flipping.

Natsu walked over and touched Aoi's long hair. "Doesn't your ponytail get in your way when you're playing? Maybe that's why you're the weakest member?"

Aoi straightened herself, taking a few steps back. She made a hurt and confused face. "Nora-chan's the weakest member. That's what you said in the locker room."

"Well, my calculations were wrong. Apparently, you are now. At least, Nora can receive a ball." Natsu sighed, making a worried face at Aoi. "I'll forgive you since you're a first year, Aoi. As your captain, I suggest you cut your hair."

Aoi breathed in sharply. "I-I can't, sempai. My parents won't allow that."

Natsu turned around, walking away and stopped. She flashed Aoi a devilish grin and said, "Well, then, you're just gonna have to disappoint them." She walked to the other girls, continuing practice.

Umi narrowed her eyes at Natsu. _What a bitch._ She looked back at Aoi and found the girl practicing by herself, hitting the ball against the wall, trying to receive it properly. She walked over to Aoi who looked at her angrily.

"What do you want, Umi?" Aoi muttered, quickly shuffling to her right to receive the ball.

"You shouldn't practice like that," Umi said. "The headmaster said to not practice on the walls. You'll damage it eventually."

"I don't care."

Umi cocked her head. "Are you trying to get suspended?"

"N-no."

"Then stop using the wall. I'll help you practice." Umi grabbed the ball from Aoi's hands and moved a few feet away from the girl. "I'll hit the ball to you and you just focus on receiving. Once you can do the basics, we'll move onto receiving spikes, okay?"

Aoi glared at the floor. "I'm not stupid, Umi."

Umi pressed her lips into a thin line. "I wasn't trying to make you feel stupid, Aoi."

"Can we just start already?"

"Okay." Umi hit the ball to Aoi who brought her arms together to receive the ball; however, when she hit the ball with her arms, it flew backwards. Aoi mumbled an apology and chased after the ball, leaving Umi confused as to why the girl suddenly apologized. It wasn't like she was going to spike her in the head for not receiving properly.

Aoi tossed the ball to Umi and stood tensely.

"Aoi, I'm not going to yell at you so you can stop standing so tensely. That doesn't help you receive better. When you're receiving, you want to stand in the right posture. I was watching you hit the ball and you didn't bend your knees. You want to bend your knees. When the ball comes to your arms, push your arms in the direction of the net or rather, your opponent," Umi explained, performing the gestures.

"...You mean like this?" Aoi asked uncomfortably, pushing her arms away from her.

"Yes, exactly like that!" Umi praised. "Okay, just make sure to do that when the ball comes."

She aimed the ball at Aoi who perfectly received. "That's a lot better, Aoi."

Feeling her face grow warm from the compliment, Aoi decided to run after the ball. Why did she have to feel so at ease around Umi?

-000-

"Oi, Tadashi, wake up," Tsukishima Kei said. He poked Tadashi's shoulder with his pencil and touched the frames of his glasses before sighing. "Get up already."

"Mmmm..." Tadashi mumured, slowly getting up. He rubbed his eyes, peering at Kei. "Is school already done, Kei?"

"Yeah." Kei grabbed his bag and fixed his headphones around his neck. "Why are you so sleepy? It's not like you to sleep during class."

"Ah, I'm just tired; I had to stay up late packing." Tadashi zipped his bag, standing up so he could stretch a bit. Kei headed out the classroom with Tadashi following him closely. "Are you going to practice with us today?"

Tadashi nodded, beaming. "Yep! I want to spend my last two weeks making good memories with you guys even if it means practicing when I don't have to."

The two walked down the outdoor hallway, heading to the gym.

"You're gonna miss me a lot," Tadashi said jokingly, but inside, he was serious.

Kei, wearing a straight face, shrugged. "I suppose."

Tadashi made a frown. "Come on, you will miss me. Just say it."

"I might." Kei entered the gym and headed to the locker room to change. Tadashi scratched his head, watching Kei leave. "I'm gonna miss you and everyone else."

"So, have you started your search?" Hinata asked, smiling brightly. He was already wearing is practice clothes, bouncing a volleyball in his hand with energy.

"Yeah, I have started," Tadashi said, caught off guard by Hinata. "It's harder than I thought though."

"That's what I thought too." Hinata set the ball in the air, catching it and repeated that motion over and over. "Hey, would you mind teaching me that technique you did at training camp?"

"Huh?" Tadashi said. "What- oh, you mean the jump float serve?"

"Yeah, that!" Hinata exclaimed eagerly. "I still remember the way the ball flew, but I wasn't looking at your hand. Could you show me how to do that?"

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Kei asked, suddenly appearing. Tadashi smiled cheekily. "Oh, a friend of mine taught me."

"Friend?" Kei phrased, surprised. Tadashi was pretty shy. "Who was it?"

"Is your friend good at volleyball?!" Hinata demanded, scooting closer to Tadashi who moved back until he was standing with his back pressed to the wall. "Erm, Hinata, could you move a bit back?"

"Sorry, Tadashi!" Hinata scrambled back. "I was just so excited."

"No problem," Tadashi said. "Actually, I'm trying to get my friend to replace me."

"WHAT!" Hinata exclaimed, growing frantic. Tadashi sweat dropped. Was this a good or bad thing?

"Have you talked to your friend yet?" Hinata asked, looking eager.

"Yeah, I did, but my friend doesn't want to."

Hinata frowned. Tadashi held his hands up, trying to lighten his mood. "But, I'm going to try asking my friend again today."

"No one can replace you, stupid," Kei stated, catching everyone's attention. He stalked out of the gym. Hinata, feeling guilty, turned to Tadashi and said, "I'm sorry, Tadashi, about how I was acting; I should have thought about how you were feeling. I was just curious about your friend. That's all, I swear."

Tadashi shook his head. "No, that's okay. Don't worry, I'm not mad." He looked at the door, wondering if he should follow Kei.

"You should let him cool down for the time being," Daichi suggested. Tadashi nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go then. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

-000-

As Umi walked to her locker, a girl said, "It's obvious that the coach favors her."

"I know, he was giving her so much attention. The extra tosses he gave her? Total favoritism right there."

"I bet she thinks she's better than all of us."

Yanking her shirt on, Natsu stretched her arms as she sat on the bench. "It's no wonder why Aoi left her to become our friend. She's better off with us anyways."

"Yeah, you're right, Natsu. I don't even know why she befriended her in the first place."

"Maybe be they went to the same middle school?" a girl asked.

Natsu shook her head. "No, Aoi said she didn't go to the same middle school as Umi."

"Oh. They acted like they were best friends."

"Maybe they were," Natsu said, smirking.

When Umi neared the last row of lockers, she spotted Aoi already changing. She silently walked to her locker, located across from Aoi's, and shimmied off her shorts. She slipped on her black skirt and sat down, pulling her white socks off only to yank on her black, knee-length stockings. Quickly changing into her white blouse and tossing on her dark blue blazer, Umi unfastened her short black hair from its ponytail position.

Aoi placed her foot on the bench, bending forward to tie her shoe. Umi did the same, thinking how odd it was that they were the only two people who chose this locker row.

"Why are you suddenly hanging out with Natsu and her group, Aoi?" Umi asked, curious. She dropped her right foot and lifted her left foot onto the bench, bending forward to tie it.

"What do you mean?" Aoi asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"You used to bad mouth them and now, you're trying to fit in? That's contradicting to me." Umi turned around to grab her school bag out from her locker. She dropped it on the floor so she could place her practice uniform into her locker.

Aoi shut her locker. "People change. I found more compatible friends." She began to walk away from Umi.

"Are you saying that we weren't compatible friends?" Umi asked, clenching the strap of her bag.

"You're a smart girl, Umi. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"So, it's true," Umi said, shaking her head in disappointment. Aoi stopped, looking at her ex-friend, and watched as Umi's short hair shook. Aoi suddenly heard her laughing softly and demanded, "What's so funny, Umi?"

Umi lifted her face to stare at Aoi seriously, her light brown eyes penetrating Aoi. "You're just like everyone else. You only befriended me to use me."

Aoi opened her mouth to say something in her defense, but nothing came out. She watched as Umi's face morphed into a bitter face. Brushing past the brown haired girl, Umi stated, "I should have never trusted you, Aoi."

-000-

By the time Umi got home, it was late night. She spotted a figure sitting in front of her apartment as she neared. She narrowed her eyes, tensing, and felt the cold night wind kiss the nape of her neck, blowing her short black hair away from her face. The hooded figure stood up and Umi ceased walking as it turned around.

"Tadashi, what the hell are you doing here!" Umi demanded, feeling embarrassed for being scared which soon turned into frustration. "If this is about what you were saying yesterday, I am not talking about it at all. Case closed."

She unlocked the door and let him in before locking it shut and kicking off her shoes. She ran into her room, tossed her bag onto the carpet and hurried into the kitchen. "Geez, you should have called me to tell me that you were waiting! Your mom's going to be mad if she finds out I left you out there in the cold, waiting hopelessly."

Sitting on a stool, Tadashi chuckled nervously. "Um, well, I did call you. Multiple times, too."

"Really? I didn't hear it." Stopping in the middle of cooking, Umi checked her phone and facepalmed. "Sorry. I had it on silent. I totally forgot about it." She set her phone on the counter, chucked off her blazer, rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and tossed on an apron.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, peering into the fridge. She'd have to go grocery shopping soon.

"Er, yeah, I am."

"Don't have to be so shy, Tadashi," she called out, disappearing from his sight. He heard pots and pans banging, drawers opening and closing, dishes rattling as she gathered what she needed.

"Is your mom coming home?"

Umi stood up with an armful of materials. "No, I don't think so. I'd be surprised if she showed up right now."

"When was the last time she came?" Tadashi stared at her thinking expression.

"One or two months ago? I don't know. She usually comes home to drop off money for rent." Umi whirled around to chop some vegetables and boil some water. "How does noodles, fried eggs and fried vegetables sound? It's a quick meal because I got to finish some homework for tomorrow."

"That's perfectly fine."

"Okay." Umi continued to work in silence, breaking it a couple minutes later. "Ah, I just remembered what I wanted to ask you yesterday. When are you moving?"

"Two weeks from now."

"Really? That's so soon. Did you pack yet?"

"I did most of it yesterday. Why'd you come home so late?"

Umi sliced a carrot, staring at it sadly. "I was just wandering around town."

"What? Unitl now? That's not safe!"

"Yes, Tadashi," Umi said, growing irritated. She continued slicing.

"Did..." He shut his eyes, thinking that he _had_ to ask her, and spat out, "Did something happen at school?"

Even though she had her back to him, Umi forced herself to not frown. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed kind of off, not yourself, you know?"

"Why do you have to make it sound like a question?" Umi asked, scraping the carrots off the chopping board and into the pot.

"Because I'm worried," Tadashi said. "You keep to yourself a lot."

Umi snorted. "You're one to speak."

"Stop trying to change the topic," he remarked, pointing at her. "So what's going on?"

Umi sighed. "The usual. Girls picking fights with me."

"Fist fights?" Tadashi asked, concerned even more now.

"No, of course not! My mom would be so mad if she found out I got in a fight."

"Like how you used to get into fights during middle school?" he reminded.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about that!" Umi chided herself, placing a bowl in front of him. She glared at him and scowled. "Don't even remind me about those days."

"Kitagawa Daiichi Middle School, huh?" Tadashi murmured. _Kageyama went there. I wonder if they've met each other._

"Ugh, don't even talk about that school!" Umi replied instantly. She hated that place, that time. It was a very dark time in her life. She hated school so much; she hated her life, hated her parents, hated everything which was why she didn't really care about the consequences of her fights. Thankfully, her punishments were cleaning certain parts of the school, doing charity work or volunteering. The most drastic punishment she received was a two month suspension from school.

"What were you saying again?" Tadashi asked.

"Just some girls on my team talking shit about me again," Umi replied nonchalantly. He wondered how she could handle those kinds of stuff so normally. She placed a pot of noodles in front of them, stuffing a towel underneath the pot. "People can be decieving, Tadashi. Make sure you're aware of that, okay?"

He nodded, wondering what triggered her to say this.

She clapped her hands together, beaming brightly. "Eat up!"

"Is it okay for me to talk to you about _it_?" he asked while filling his bowl with noodles.

"The replacement thingy?" Umi asked, munching on a chunk of carrot. He nodded and she stared at the ceiling. _He did listen to me...and he did wait here until I got home...that persistent little punk Tadashi._

"Fine." Umi pointed her chopsticks at him. "But this isn't a yes, so don't get your hopes up."

Tadashi smiled and thanked her. "Since I'm moving to Kyoto, my team needs another member. It's my job to find a replacement. I figured that you'd be the best person, especially since I know you."

"Did you consider the fact that I go to a different school?" Umi eyed him with incredulously.

Tadashi pursed his lips. "There's that, yes, but I figured you wouldn't mind transferring schools. You've repeatedly said that you hate your all-girl school."

"Yes, because girls can be very, very bitchy and full of drama."

"So, you could go to a public, coed school and besides, you're a first year so you haven't missed much. Would your mom be okay with that?"

Umi nodded. "As long as I graduate high school, she wouldn't care where I went for school."

"How does Karasuno High School sound to you? The volleyball team is superb and the classes offered are a wide variety. There's other clubs and activities as well."

Umi quirked a brow. "That's a lot of work though, transfering and all the stuff related to it."

"But it's worth it. Karasuno's a great school!" Tadashi made a sad face. He didn't want to leave the school nor his friends.

"It sounds..." Umi paused, thinking, and Tadashi widened his eyes in anticipation. "It sounds a lot more interesting than my school," she finished with a blinding smile.

"Yes, it is." His pride and love for his school obviously showing. "My team is going to be playing in the inter-high preliminaries. We want to go to the nationals and I already told one of my members about you, he really wants to meet you."

"Am I even allowed to replace you?" Umi inquired. "I mean, from what you said yesterday, it sounds like all your members are boys. There's no rule saying it's an all boy team?"

Tadashi shook his head. "Not that I know of." _Now that I think about it, I think they're all expecting the new member to be a boy. _ He looked at Umi analytically. She was pretty tomboy-ish.

"I have to get a new member, which should be you, by the end of this week because my sempai wants to test your abilities."

"_If_ I even agree to be your replacement, Tadashi."

"Please, Umi, please. I know you're a very good volleyball player."

Umi looked away, uncertain of whether she was a good player or not. "I don't think I'm good as I used to be. I'm losing my touch."

"Then, you need to practice!"

"Why practice when you're not even interested anymore?"

"I think it's because of your team," Tadashi stated, gripping his chopsticks tightly. "If there's one thing I learned so far, it's that your team also influences your passion to play."

"You're quite intelligent," Umi complimented.

"I'm serious, Umi. You need a team that's up to your level. Karasuno is your league!"

"I suppose, but you're from Karasuno so how would I know if you're being biased or not?"

"Come to my school tomorrow afternoon and watch them practice," Tadashi said.

"Hmmm, that does sound good. It's decided then! I'll skip my practice to see your team practice. It's still volleyball after all."

"Erm, 'skip practice'?" Tadashi said, squirming in his chair. "I don't want your coach mad at you." _O__r me in this case._

"It's no problem. He already knows that I'm slacking off. I told him I wanted to quit today."

"What?!" Tadashi exclaimed. "What did he say?"

"Well, he was desperate to make me stay on the team. Imagine if I told him I was transferring? He'd have a stroke or something like that." Umi chuckled and deadpanned. "I was being serious though. Volleyball has no meaning to me anymore."

* * *

I am baaack! Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and followers ;D

augustusinfinite : Yeah, I intended to make her come off as cold and scary. It's all apart of my plan *evil laugh* And thanks for reviewing :D

Helloimlxs: I didn't want to deprive Kei of his buddy either, but I did. I'm such a meannie! LOL... He comes off pretty mean in the anime too. Thanks for the review :)

Saki: I love you for being the first to review ^-^

Lastly, please review.


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